Fans flock to get last taste of Grandma’s Pies in Colonie

Restaurant will close after service on July 15

Grandma's Pies and Restaurant Manager D'Arcie Degener is sad to see the restaurant closed. On Sunday, July 8, 2018, she said she has worked there for 33 years. (Wendy Liberatore/Times Union)

Grandma's Pies and Restaurant Manager D'Arcie Degener is sad to see the restaurant closed. On Sunday, July 8, 2018, she said she has worked there for 33 years. (Wendy Liberatore/Times Union)

Photo: Wendy Liberatore/Times Union

Photo: Wendy Liberatore/Times Union

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Grandma's Pies and Restaurant Manager D'Arcie Degener is sad to see the restaurant closed. On Sunday, July 8, 2018, she said she has worked there for 33 years. (Wendy Liberatore/Times Union)

Grandma's Pies and Restaurant Manager D'Arcie Degener is sad to see the restaurant closed. On Sunday, July 8, 2018, she said she has worked there for 33 years. (Wendy Liberatore/Times Union)

Photo: Wendy Liberatore/Times Union

Fans flock to get last taste of Grandma’s Pies in Colonie

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COLONIE — As soon as Maria Morrissey heard that Grandma's Pies and Restaurant was closing, she and her friends hurried to the Central Avenue mainstay to get a meal and their slice of history.

"I'm really sad about it," said the Albany Law School graduate. "I'm from New Mexico and we have a food culture. The food culture here is not so great. But you always knew if you came here, you would get great food, good service. I never had a bad meal here and everything is homemade."

The problem on Sunday, however, was that everyone had the same idea. The restaurant and pie shop, so beloved for its eponymous desserts that police have to control traffic every Thanksgiving to handle the flood of cars lining up to buy pies, was busy with diners who wanted to savor one more sweet slice of heaven.

Manager D'Arcie Degener was overwhelmed.

"We don't have a hostess, we are short on wait and bus staff and I'm going to lose my job after 33 years," Degener said while holding back tears and balancing customers coming to eat and those who were quickly clearing out the display case of pies. "I've seen customers grow up here. A lot of SUNY Albany students who got married and having children and bringing them in. It will be hard."

The closing, set for Sunday, July 15, was announced in a post on Facebook and on its website Saturday night.While no reason was given for the closure after 42 years of business, Degener said that co-owners Dave Houle and Ron Raylinski could not keep up with the rents. By 4 p.m. Sunday, the post announcing the closing was shared more than 2,300 times with comments from 678 people in less than 24 hours of its posting.

Gail Plescia of Albany came in to buy a Banana Split pie for her daughter Jillian. Every year for Jillian's birthday, she purchased one. But Degener said they were out and didn't know if they would replenish the pies by the time the restaurant closed.

"I'm heartbroken," Plescia said. "It was a surprise to all of us that they were closing so fast. It's so sad, everyone is so sad."

Anna Albert, also from Albany, agreed. Her first job out of high school was at the restaurant, then known as Pappy's Pub.

"We'll be seeing a McDonald's here in no time," she said. "As a small business owner myself, it will be sad to see."

Grandma's was purchased a decade ago from its founder by Joe Fagan owner of Ralph's Tavern, located down the street on Central Avenue. The property and an adjoining parcel were listed for sale last year, but the restaurant/pie shop was said at the time to be staying open; the business itself was added to the sale listing in June.

A 1978 article in the Times Union described Grandma's as a place where diners are greeted by "counters of huge pies" and "a revolving pie case that looks like a spinning silo, with its racks filled with concoctions that have the taste buds wanting to to served."

At the time, there were 28 variety of pies, 10-inch deep-dish delights. The restaurant's oven turned out 44 pies an hour. For years, Grandma's is said to have sold upward of 10,000 pies during Thanksgiving week. While there are still 22 kinds of pies listed on the board above the main counter, there were only a few lemon meringue, chocolate cream and Dutch apple pies left.

Morrissey said her favorite was the lemon crunch pie. She described the creamy tart filling and the crumbly top with relish.

"It is a slice of deliciousness," Morrissey said. "It was beautiful. The taste would dance in your mouth."

Melissa Wilkie of Syracuse, who accompanied Morrissey and Dena DeFazio to Grandma's for their farewell meal, would be disappointed to learn there was no lemon crunch pie left.

"I've been coming here for three years," Wilkie said. "When people would visit from out of town we would always bring them here. As soon as we heard it was closing, we had to come. It's really like going to your Grandma's."

For its final week, Grandma's will be open from 7 a.m. daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Get updates on Table Hopping.